Nadine Dorries: Psalm 139, abortion, hatred and evil

Recently, Nadine Dorries took part in an interview with Ed West which was published in the Catholic Herald. A modest individual who has appropriated the identity of the historical figure Archbishop Cranmer complains here that this interview does not gain the attention it deserves because it has been “largely ignored by most of the left-leaning, abortion-promoting MSM.”

Late last year, Dorries was in conversation with this same individual on Twitter when she said the following:

“And the Liberal Synod contains many cowards who focus on the ‘hip’ issue of the day and not what is relevant to congregations” – Nadine Dorries (source)

“the CoE has a shameful weak and cowardly history re abortion – no surprise with a Liberal apologetic Synod” Nadine Dorries (source)

“Most faiths support their own text, Synod envoys told me Psalms were mere ‘poetry’ and not to be used for guidance” – Nadine Dorries (source)

“‘I knew you in your mothers womb’ is not to be believed, It is apparently poetry.” – Nadine Dorries (source)

There was no question about Dorries having an opposing view to that of the Church of England and, despite an attempt by ‘Cranmer’ to enlighten her (1, 2) she appears to still hold this view so strongly as to again accuse the church of ‘cowardice’ for not supporting her position, which she sees as the natural/obvious one.

(Note how in this excerpt, with the aid of this ‘journalist’, she leads into the issue by portraying all objections to her conduct as hateful vitriol, and categorises all of her opponents as opponents in the abortion debate. The importance of this will become clearer as we proceed. Hang in there.)

Those unfamiliar with the world of blogs and social networking site Twitter will not fully appreciate how much hatred Dorries attracts over this issue, the majority of which seems to come from men, who devote an almost demented amount of time tapping at keyboards explaining why they hate this woman. “What have I done to justify this level of vitriol?” Dorries asks. “What’s it about? The only controversial issue I’ve ever taken up is abortion, and that’s the only hook to hang it on.”

Yet she is not even “against” abortion as such, in that she does not wish to re-criminalise it.

“I’m neither pro-choice nor pro-life,” she says. “I take the middle ground, and I find it hard to understand why anyone – especially feminists – could disagree with what I say if they are really concerned with women and their health issues.” Both sides of the argument, she says, are “ghettoised” on the issue.

One of the problems, I suggest, is that perhaps the pro-life movement is seen as exclusively religious, although there is no reason why it should be. In fact, she says, she doesn’t even get that much support from the churches.

“I need religious support,” she says. “It is our core support. I need the churches being more involved, and the churches have been pathetic, pathetic, during the abortion debate in their support for what I was trying to do.

“The Church of England was the worst and the only person in the Catholic Church who made any comment was Cardinal O’Brien. Everybody was silent because the churches were weak and cowardly in their position.

“I was even told by one envoy from the Church [of England] that Psalm 139 was ‘just poetry’. Weeks later they timidly came out and squeaked their words of support, which were no use to me at this point. The churches have really angered me during this debate.”

Now, it cannot be stressed enough here that Dorries is pushing for a literal (or more literal) interpretation of the book of Psalms.

There is a word for this kind of thing; fundamentalism.

Further, hers is a notion that the mainstream church rejects, which in turn causes Dorries to be openly hostile to them.

There are words for this kind of thing, too, but Dorries and people like her object to these words to being used to describe them, not least because they have been used to such good effect to damage a competing religion. In fact, if I were to use these words accurately, her gang of useful idiots would probably accuse me of casting Nadine Dorries as a suicide bomber because of the way these words have been used inaccurately by others. For now, ‘fundamentalism’ will do.

Dorries has previously denied being a religious fundamentalist (more/context), and even if she sticks to this denial on the basis that the pejorative version of this word does not apply to her as far as she can see, these repeated attacks on ‘cowardly’ churches betray her position and destroy any pretence that she holds anything like the middle ground of the abortion debate.

It is at this point that we turn to the relevant passages from the collection of sermons in Psalms that she speaks of and repeatedly attempt to see matters from the point of view of Nadine Dorries. (Seriously going somewhere with this. Hang. In. There.)

During this process, I will be turning from the matter of more general interest (Dorries’ clearly religious views and how they impact on her role in the abortion debate) and instead focusing on a more personal matter and how that relates to the public interest, because something quite worrying occurred to me when I had cause to look closely at Psalm 139 this morning.

(Note – I have included the text from the King James version of this religious text, but have also linked to a site that gives varying translations/interpretations of each line.)

14 I will praise thee; for I am fearfully and wonderfully made: marvellous are thy works; and that my soul knoweth right well.

15 My substance was not hid from thee, when I was made in secret, and curiously wrought in the lowest parts of the earth.

16 Thine eyes did see my substance, yet being unperfect; and in thy book all my members were written, which in continuance were fashioned, when as yet there was none of them.

Personally, I interpret Psalm 139 as a flowery tribute to the perceived omnipresence of the author’s chosen deity; He is so all-powerful and so all-knowing that He knows us before we exist and after we die.

There are some who view these lines as an extended and purpose-specific reference to life developing in the uterus and their nominated deity’s role in that; some even go so far as to repeat the word ‘womb’ again in place of the ‘lowest parts of the earth’ in 139:15, and it is no doubt on the strength of this interpretation and others like it that Dorries sees this sermon as a repeated assurance that God has been hand-stitching each and every one of us in the womb, meaning that it is His word that life begins from the zygote onwards if not before (see: onanism) and He has a special plan for every cell cluster in every womb on the planet, regardless of its developmental progress.

The person who wrote this sermon groups all those who do not adopt his religion as his enemies, and wishes them to die while casting them as bloodthirsty. Some interpretations even describe all of these ‘wicked’ people as ‘murderers’. The author even calls them out as ‘haters’ in the same breath as expressing what amounts to an unreasoned and extreme hatred of them. (As you can see, this is a much older game than many people suspect.)

139:19 – If only you would put the sinners to death, O God; go far from me, you men of blood.

139:20 – For they go against you with evil designs, and your haters make sport of your name.

139:21 – Are not your haters hated by me, O Lord? are not those who are lifted up against you a cause of grief to me?

139:22 – My hate for them is complete; my thoughts of them are as if they were making war on me.

I hate what she does and the way that she treats other people, but I resist hating Nadine Dorries herself where possible. I’m human, but I try. I certainly don’t claim to be better than others because I hate her, even in those moments when I do.

Further, I do not wish that Nadine Dorries would die. You may think differently.

I know Nadine Dorries thinks differently about me, because she relies on this passage for guidance and feels so strongly about it that she is willing to oppose the Church of England in its defence.

Reading this passage, it becomes clear that Nadine Dorries hates me. She hates me with every fibre of her being. She hates me as if we were at war. But, like the author of this sermon, she sees this as a blessed mission ordained by God, and casts me as the hater.

I do not think it is unreasonable to suspect that when Dorries is confronted with circumstances where she might lessen my suffering, she would choose to do nothing and let her chosen deity get on with it (or maybe even choose to help her chosen deity along from time to time) not because what is being done to me is in any way right, proper, appropriate or humane, but because Dorries believes it is God’s will that I suffer because sees me as an opponent of His will and therefore a force for evil.

Not only do I suspect this to be the case, I suspect Dorries even makes indirect reference to this belief in the same interview:

She describes herself as being a “bit low” following the press treatment of her private life, the expenses scandal (which she describes as “unbearable”) and the story in that morning’s Mirror alleging that she is being investigated for her expenses.

“It’s a ridiculous story, and its been planned to put out on the day I’ll be on breakfast TV on abortion,” she says. “All it is is nasty, Left-wing politicking.

“I can’t believe that journalists by and large can be happy people because I don’t think its possible to write in such a vitriolic and hateful way and be happy, and for good things to happen to you.”

Bad things happen to bad people, you see. And they happen (or will happen) because of what Dorries assumes to be opposition to her position on abortion. Therefore, this is not the work of Dorries, but of God. In fact, it is God who guides her hand when she hyperlinks to the man who has been watching my house and publishing directions to my home for anyone else who might care to take an interest, and it is God who guides her mouth when she repeats/reinforces his smears to the extent of inventing police investigations that never took place.

If it is as I suspect (and I think I’ve produced some pretty strong supporting evidence to support my suspicions), then this should be of concern to any constituent of Dorries that she perceives as her enemy (i.e. an opponent of her religious mission); when confronted with your suffering, instead of doing her duty as an MP, Dorries is far more inclined to do what she perceives as a higher duty to God.

Unless, of course, Nadine Dorries would care to state that she only fervently believes in part of Psalm 139.

By Richard Bartholomew January 25, 2011 - 4:53 pm

There is some real toss in the Catholic Herald article. Nadine-wise. Incorrect statements and blatant revisionism. I think it may be time to unburden myself of some of my well-checked 'Dine facts. Possibly.